


For Who

by bunrlu



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Chocolate, Cooking, Cute, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, White Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 23:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30062961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunrlu/pseuds/bunrlu
Summary: It's the day before White Day and someone unexpected asks Kanji Tatsumi for help.
Relationships: Narukami Yu & Tatsumi Kanji, Persona 4 Protagonist/Tatsumi Kanji, Seta Souji & Tatsumi Kanji, Seta Souji/Tatsumi Kanji
Kudos: 12





	For Who

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic made for BENT UP - the Kanji Zine! I hope yall love the zine as much as we loved working on it!! This is also my first fic here, so feedback is always appreciated! Enjoy! :)

Yasogami High’s final bell of the day chimes after what felt like hours. Chin resting on his propped arm, Kanji finally lets out a pent up groan. “About _damn_ time,” he mutters to himself. Quickly, he shuffles his blank notes into his bag before swinging it over his shoulder, mind already set on heading home to work on his latest crochet project. 

“Hey Kanji,” a calm voice asks amidst the crowd of students, “Are you free right now?” 

That voice? It can only belong to -- Standing at the first years’ doorway is none other than Yu Narukami -- leader of the Investigation Team and someone Kanji greatly admired.

“I was just ‘bout to head home but… Yeah, guess I’m free.” It isn’t exactly a lie. He can just make up for lost time by crocheting during lunch tomorrow. Or you know, cut altogether.

“Great! Tomorrow's White Day and I was wondering if you wanted to help me make some chocolates?” A pause. “I can’t exactly ask the girls about this because… well… _you know._ ”

White Day chocolates? So that’s it! Not that Kanji’s ever made chocolates to give out or had anyone to give them to. Regardless, it’d be fun to share any of his growing list of hobbies with his friends. The other members of the Investigation Team have taught Kanji a lot about everything. It’s all because of them that he’s able to find people that didn’t care what kind of things he enjoyed. It’s comforting to know that he’s finally found people he can call friends, people dear to him. 

"You're really askin' _me_ to help you with somethin’?" Nervous and flustered, Kanji instinctively reaches to scratch the back of his head. “You sure you’re askin’ the right guy…?”

“Of course! I can always count on you, Kanji,” the upperclassmen replies with a confident nod. There’s no doubt in Yu’s mind that Kanji’s the guy he wanted to ask. The girls… as helpful as they could be, were complete disasters in the kitchen. Teddie and Yosuke would argue over every little thing and end up getting nothing done. And Naoto? Well, Naoto seemed to have other plans. 

“A-Alright, senpai. If you say so.” It wasn't often anyone, much less his super cool senpai, asked him to help with anything. So of course Kanji has doubts -- not about Yu but... about his _own_ abilities. Still, if it was Yu asking, then Kanji didn’t have it in him to decline.

A slow nod quickly evolves into an eager grin and Kanji’s now brimming with confidence. Just the thought of decorating chocolates into cute little treats with his senpai has his voice shaking with excitement. 

“L-Let’s grab some stuff before we head back to my place! ‘ve already got most of the things we need.”

* * *

After a rather difficult trip to Junes, Yu and Kanji finally arrived at the Tatsumi residence. 

“I haven’t seen Junes so packed since… well… _ever_. Think I woulda lost my mind if I was there by myself.” With an exasperated sigh, Kanji dumps all his grocery bags onto the kitchen counter. As if on cue, he spins to the cupboards to pull out a stack of chocolate moulds from the cabinet. From hearts to stars and even animal shapes, he has quite the collection. “I haven’t actually made chocolates with any of these but ours -- I mean _your_ chocolates will be fuckin’ cute with ‘em!”

Yu meets Kanji’s gaze and nods firmly, rolling up his sleeves as he surveys their arsenal. They might’ve gone a bit overboard with the supplies. How many different kinds of chocolates is too much? They couldn’t possibly be mixing in all of them. Does Kanji even like dark chocolate? Nevermind. Yu’ll just eat it all if he doesn’t. But for now, he’ll make _“fuckin’ cute”_ chocolates out of these for sure!

“Yeah, let’s get to work!”

* * *

It isn’t long before the whole house is engulfed in the soft and rich earthly scents of melted chocolate. Hovering over a boiling pot of water with an attached bowl, Kanji quietly and meticulously stirs the mixture with a whisk. So engrossed in his task, it doesn’t even occur to him that he is offering Yu dry conversation. 

But Yu doesn’t mind too much as he himself is busy stuffing the icing into piping bags and laying out all the decorations. Almost a whole year’s flown by since they’ve met; but in their short time together, Yu’s come to understand that Kanji has always been diligent in his work, his concentration paired with silence. Whether it was smashing in the skulls of shadows or crocheting gifts for his friends, he held a burning passion for everything he did -- even if that mouth of his gave him more trouble than anyone ever anticipates. And that’s something Yu’s become quite fond of, even finding himself drawn to that spirit.

“Rise’s chocolates weren’t as bad as Yosuke said they’d be,” Yu jests, recalling his surprise. A bit salty and a tad too spicy but overall? Not too bad for Rise.

Snapping out of his chocolate swirling daze, Kanji finally looks up. “Huh? To be honest, I wasn’t really payin’ attention to the taste of ‘em. She kinda just threw ‘em at me and told me to eat as many as I wanted. So I did. Before she could take ‘em back.” 

Well, Yu’s exchange with Rise couldn’t be _more_ different but hey, at least Kanji got to enjoy some sweets on that special day. Yu wonders what Kanji’s reaction to her chocolates -- obligatory or not -- were. He’s sure they brought a smile to his face, knowing that someone was thinking of him. Yu hums after the thought, refocusing on setting out the moulds for Kanji to pour the liquid mixture into. Despite the delinquent’s rough exterior and crass words, he is definitely still a softie.

“‘nyway, who’re you --” Realizing his thoughts slipped out faster than he could stop them, Kanji abruptly cuts himself off, even coughing in an attempt to dilute the awkwardness. 

Isn’t it kind of… _weird_ for him to ask Yu who he is going to give his chocolates to? What he means is -- who _isn’t_ he giving them to? Kanji overheard from Teddie that _all_ the girls gave him homemade chocolates — whether there was romantic intent behind them or not, Kanji hasn’t the slightest idea. But even this thick skulled teenager knew when someone was a ladies’ man. With how popular his senpai is, he wouldn’t be surprised if even _guys_ gave him chocolate on Valentine’s Day! All his time on the Investigation Team, figuring out the idiot behind all the murders and shit, all of that had to help his deduction skills somehow. So finding out the recipient of these _super special senpai sweets_ should be a piece of cake -- or er, chocolate.

After turning off the stove, Kanji carries over the bowl of melted chocolate to the counter where Yu is. Holding his breath as he carefully scrapes the last of it in the moulds, he makes sure not to waste a single drop of chocolate goodness. Finally setting down the bowl, he exhales and nods triumphantly.

“Alright, senpai! We gotta wait for ‘em to cool a bit and then they’ll be good to go!” Resting his hands on his hips, Kanji gives a good look at what Yu’s prepared. The bags are all ready for piping, and sprinkles ready for sprinkling! “But for now we gotta… just sit tight ‘nd… wait…” He sounds a lot less excited about the waiting part but lucky for Kanji, he doesn’t have to do this alone.

An hour of small talk and three trips to the freezer later, it’s finally time! With a chopstick, Kanji pokes the chocolates to make sure they’re entirely solidified and ready. The two proceed to remove the chocolates from the moulds, resisting the urge to stuff a few of them in their faces.

“Now comes the hardest part! Decoratin’! Let’s see…” What should he start with? White icing is always a standard pick -- better to keep it simple than go too crazy, right? After far too long contemplating, Kanji picks up a bag of white icing.

“Hardest? Isn’t it supposed to be the _most fun_ part?” Raising a brow, Yu follows Kanji’s lead, picking up his own pink piping bag.

Clearing his throat, Kanji focuses on the chocolate and piping in his hands. “I guess people tend ta have a little fun with it...” his voice trails off, brows knitting in thought. “-- but the challenge is what makes it rewardin’! Y’know?” Carefully does he squeeze the piping just enough so a thin stream of icing lines the edge of the star shaped chocolate. To show his senpai what he’s done, he raises his piece; a confident grin flashes.

Who would’ve thought someone with such calloused hands would have such a delicate touch? Every stroke Kanji draws is exact, _perfect_. “That’s pretty good! Now, how’s this?” Yu picks out one of his own heart shaped chocolates and grips his bag of pink icing closely. Just as carefully, he lines the edge of the small treat before filling it in.

“Amazing, senpai! Just as expected, you’re good at anythin’!”

“Nah, it’s only because I’ve got the best teacher with me!”

“Yeah right! I barely taught ya anythin’,” Kanji laughs, quickly dismissing the comment with a playful nudge at the other’s side. “Now, I usually like ta add sprinkles and different colored icing if I’m really feelin’ it. Go wild! But maybe not too wild. Wouldn’t want to go outside the lines.”

“Got it, _senpai!_ ” Yu salutes before erupting into a short fit of laughter.

“S-Stop it!” he mumbles, tone hinting annoyance. But truthfully? Kanji doesn’t mind the teasing. In fact, he doesn’t want Yu to stop -- he doesn’t want any of _this_ to stop. How he is able to be himself so freely -- _comfortably_ and without any judgement -- with Yu is one of the reasons why he…

Reaching over to grab a pinch of rounded sprinkles, Yu catches Kanji lost in thought with his hands frozen in place. A grin graces Yu’s lips but he doesn’t say anything, simply returning to his side to create a smaller heart with the sprinkles. 

“Have you been working on any new projects lately? Did you finish the dolls for the shop?”

“Huh? Oh --!” Kanji blinks himself out of his daze, Yu’s choice of decorations catching his attention. The guy sure seemed to favor the yellow and black sprinkles, huh? Maybe those were his favorite colors? Or maybe… they were _Yukiko-senpai's_ favorite colors?! He’s always thought red was her favorite with how much she wears it and all -- not that he claims to know her better than Yu does! Not like he and Yukiko were childhood friends or anything… 

“Uh, y-yeah! The first batch was a huge success so I’ve been makin’ more! I think I’m gonna try some different animals like pandas or… or penguins! Gotta love them penguins!”

“I bet both pandas and penguins will be big hits! The next time I swing by the shopping district, I’ll make sure to buy a few.” Finishing his third chocolate, Yu sets it aside and moves onto the next one.

“You know you don’t have to buy ‘em, right? I can just give ‘em to you ‘cause you’re… well, _you._ ”

“Yeah, I am _Yu,_ ” he chuckles, proud of his own quip.

It takes the other a second to even comprehend the joke. With a choppy, hesitant chuckle, Kanji can’t help the rush of heat to his face. Easily distracted by the warmth and solace emanating from the silver-haired boy’s laugh -- his presence, Kanji merely stands there, mouth slightly agape. Whoever was receiving this guy’s chocolates sure was one lucky person...

“I want to support you and everything you do, Kanji. You’ve already given me plenty of freebies, so it’s time I return the favor.” Though Yu’s hands are busy decorating, his words are genuine. Kanji’s already helped so many people around him. Not because they asked for his help, but because he wanted to help out of the sincere kindness of his heart. Despite how often he tended to scowl or raise his voice, sometimes even his fists, there’s no denying how kind Kanji’s soul actually is. To even be able to meet him during his temporary stay in Inaba is something of a miracle, if Yu is thinking honestly. So of course, he’d do anything to show his appreciation for his dear friend.

Unsure how to respond to such kind words, Kanji opens and closes his mouth to reply but nothing comes out. Even without the other’s gaze on him, his pulse pounds in his ears. No one… No one’s ever vocalized that they wanted to support him, not like this at least. 

“I.. Uh…” Through his stammering, he continues to struggle to find words -- anything to fill the silence. Grey hues fall to the immaculately clean kitchen floor as if searching for those words between the tiles. “No! -- I mean, _no_ , senpai. You’re always helpin’ me out... ‘course I’d want to give you things ‘cause… _Dammit!_ I ain’t good with words so givin’ you shit is easier for me!”

Laying the final stroke of a yellow lightning bolt on a heart shaped chocolate, Yu slowly shakes his head, a warm smile settling itself on his features. 

“You don’t have to say anything because you already say so much with your gifts alone. And that’s why these... are... for _you_ \--!” With that, Yu picks up the finished chocolate and offers it to the other. “I know it’s nothing special and you even helped me make these but --”

“I LOVE ‘EM! I love ‘em,” he blurts, a flush of embarrassment staining his cheeks as he takes the chocolate into both hands. Though the treat appears tiny in comparison to Kanji’s large hands, it’s super special because the person who gave them to him is special. 

Wait a second… Then does that mean --? This is White Day chocolate? For _him?!?_ But all he gave his senpai on Valentine’s Day was a box of animal crackers?? And it was by accident!! So what does --? What does this mean?? 

“B-But senpai -- You… Weren’t these for -- W-Whaaaa --?”

But instead of laughing or poking fun at how much of a blubbering mess Kanji is, Yu’s features soften as does his voice.

“Thank you, Kanji. For everything.”


End file.
